U.S. patent application number 11/029483 was filed with the patent office on 2005-08-18 for electronic apparatus and button device.
This patent application is currently assigned to ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.. Invention is credited to Chang, En-Bair.
Application Number | 20050180123 11/029483 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34836971 |
Filed Date | 2005-08-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050180123 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chang, En-Bair |
August 18, 2005 |
Electronic apparatus and button device
Abstract
A button device, which is disposed beside a display unit,
comprises at least a button unit. The button unit includes a first
part, a second part, and a third part. In this case, the second
part is adjacent to the first part. At least a light beam emitted
from the display unit passes through the second part. The third
part faces the first part. At least a light beam passing through
the second part is transmitted to the third part, and then the
light beam transmitted to the third part is reflected by the third
part and passes through the first part.
Inventors: |
Chang, En-Bair; (Taipei
City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Assignee: |
ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
|
Family ID: |
34836971 |
Appl. No.: |
11/029483 |
Filed: |
January 6, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
362/23.05 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01H 13/83 20130101;
H01H 2221/07 20130101; H01H 2219/052 20130101; H01H 2219/06
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
362/026 |
International
Class: |
G01D 011/28 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 13, 2004 |
TW |
093103556 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A button device, which is disposed beside a display unit and
comprises at least a button unit, the button unit comprising: a
first part disposed at the top surface of the button unit; a second
part adjacent to the first part, wherein at least a light beam
emitted from the display unit passes through the second part; and a
third part faces the first part, wherein the light beam passing
through the second part is transmitted to the third part, and then
the light beam transmitted to the third part is reflected by the
third part and passes through the first part.
2. The button device of claim 1, wherein the display unit is a
display panel.
3. The button device of claim 1, wherein the first part is a
pressing surface of the button unit, and the button unit is
triggered by pushing the first part.
4. The button device of claim 1, wherein the first part further
includes a character displaying area.
5. The button device of claim 4, wherein the character displaying
area is formed by printing or coating.
6. The button device of claim 1, wherein the light beam emitted
from the display unit is refracted to the third part with the
second part.
7. The button device of claim 1, wherein the third part is a
reflective layer.
8. The button device of claim 1, wherein the third part is a
mirror.
9. The button device of claim 1, wherein the third part is
saw-like.
10. The button device of claim 1, wherein the third part is
wave-like.
11. The button device of claim 1, wherein the first part and the
second part are integrally formed and are connected to the third
part.
12. A electronic apparatus, comprising: a display unit; and at
least a button unit, including: a first part disposed at the top
surface of the button unit, a second part adjacent to the first
part, wherein at least a light beam emitted from the display unit
passes through the second part, and a third part faces the first
part, wherein at least a light beam passing through the second part
is transmitted to the third part, and then the light beam
transmitted to the third part is reflected by the third part and
passes through the first part.
13. The electronic apparatus of claim 12, wherein the display unit
is a display panel.
14. The electronic apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first part is
a pressing surface of the button unit, and the button unit is
triggered by pushing the first part.
15. The electronic apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first part
further includes a character displaying area.
16. The electronic apparatus of claim 15, wherein the character
displaying area is formed by printing or coating.
17. The electronic apparatus of claim 12, wherein the light beam
emitted from the display unit is refracted to the third part with
the second part.
18. The electronic apparatus of claim 12, wherein the third part
has a reflective layer.
19. The electronic apparatus of claim 12, wherein the third part is
a mirror.
20. The electronic apparatus of claim 12, wherein the third part is
saw-like.
21. The electronic apparatus of claim 12, wherein the third part is
wave-like.
22. The electronic apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first part
and the second part are integrally formed and are connected to the
third part.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of Invention
[0002] The invention relates to an electronic apparatus and button
device, and, in particular, to an electronic apparatus and button
device, which has a reflective layer and can reflect light beams
from a display for illuminating the button device.
[0003] 2. Related Art
[0004] Along with being in widespread use, electronic apparatuses
can be applied in many situations. Among a variety of input devices
of electronic apparatuses, the keyboard is the most common input
device. For identifying and using buttons of the keyboard
effectively in the dusky light or darkness, the prior art disclosed
an illuminating keyboard.
[0005] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the conventional illuminating
keyboard 1 includes a LED light source 11, a plurality of buttons
13 and a light guide plate 14. In this case, the LED light source
11 can be driven by a power wire 12. The buttons has a cover plate
131, a keycap 132 and a rubber layer 133. The light guide plate 14
guides the light emitted from the LED light source 11 and reflects
it to the transparent area of the illuminating keyboard 1, which
makes the illuminating keyboard illuminates uniformly.
[0006] The conventional illuminating keyboard 1 needs an extra
light emitting member and its complicated circuits, as a result,
the production process is more difficult, too. Besides, if the
light emitting member is broken, the keyboard can't achieve the
effect of illumination. Consequently, how to make an illuminating
button device without an extra light emitting member and its
complicated circuits and still having enough light for users to
identify is an unsolved problem.
[0007] As described above, it is an important subjective to provide
an electronic apparatus and button device for solving the
above-mentioned problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In view of the foregoing, this invention is to provide an
electronic apparatus and a button device, which has a reflective
layer and can reflect light emitted from a display unit.
[0009] To solve the above-mentioned problems, a button device,
which is disposed beside a display unit, comprises at least a
button unit. The button unit includes a first part, a second part,
and a third part. In this case, the second part is adjacent to the
first part. At least a light beam transmitted from the display unit
passes through the second part. The third part faces the first
part. At least some he incident light is transmitted to the third
part, and then the light beam is reflected to the first part by the
third part
[0010] The invention further provides an electronic apparatus,
which includes a display unit, and at least a button unit. The
button unit includes a first part, a second part, and a third part.
In this case, the second part is adjacent to the first part. At
least a light beam transmitted from the display unit passes through
the second part. The third part faces the first part. At least some
incident light beams is transmitted to the third part, and then the
light beam is reflected to the first part by the third part.
[0011] As mentioned above, the button device and electronic
apparatus of the invention utilize the light beam pervious material
to make the button unit. The light beam emitted from the display
unit is transmitted to the button unit. After being refracted to
the reflective layer, at least a light beam is reflected to the
character displaying area, and forms an illuminating button. As a
result, users can clearly identify the characters on the button.
Compared to the prior art, the button device and electronic
apparatus of the invention need not add extra light emitting member
and its complicated circuits. Therefore, users will not worry about
the darkness of the keyboard owing to a broken light emitting
member. Moreover, the electric power for the extra light emitting
member can be saved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The invention will become more fully understood from the
detailed description given herein below illustrations only, and
thus is not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the conventional illuminating
keyboard;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the illuminating
keyboard along the A-A' line in the FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the button device of the
invention;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the character displaying area
of the button device of the invention;
[0017] FIG. 5 is another schematic view of the character displaying
area of the button device of the invention;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the button unit of the
invention;
[0019] FIG. 7 is another schematic view of the button unit of the
invention; and
[0020] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the electronic apparatus of
the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] The button device and electronic apparatus according to
preferred embodiments of the invention will be described herein
below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same
reference numbers refer to the same elements.
[0022] First, referring to FIG. 3, the button device according to a
preferred embodiment of the invention will be described.
[0023] The button device, which is disposed beside a display unit
21, includes at least a button unit 22. In the preferred
embodiment, the button device includes a plurality of button units
22. The button unit 22 is disposed in the button device. In this
case, the button device is the buttons of a laptop computer.
[0024] The display unit 21 is a display, such as a liquid crystal
display (LCD) or an organic electroluminescence device (OLED). In
the current embodiment, the display of the laptop is an example to
display unit 21. Certainly, the display unit 21 could be a display
of the personal computer.
[0025] The button unit 22 is formed integrally. It is made of the
material selected from at least one of
Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene copolymer (ABS copolymer),
polycarbonate (PC), poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) and
Polyacrylate. Moreover, the button unit 22 can interact with a
switch unit
[0026] As shown in FIG. 3, the button unit 22 further includes a
first part 221, a second part 222, and a third part 223. In this
case, the first part 221 is positioned at a top surface of the
button unit 22. The top surface is a pressing surface of the button
unit 22. Pressing the first part 221 changes the height of the
button unit 22 and triggers the switch under the button. The first
part 221 further includes a character displaying area 224. When the
light beam is transmitted from the first part 221, the character
displaying area 224 is illuminated. Then, the user can identify the
characters in the character displaying area 224.
[0027] According to FIG. 4, forming a character displaying area
224, such as a number "1", on the first part 221 is by printing or
coating. In the current embodiment, the opaque pigment is printed
or coated on the slash area, and the light beam pervious pigment is
printed or coated on the number "1" area. Additionally, the
illuminating material, such as the light beam pervious material
mixing with a fluorescence powder, is printed or coated on the
number "1" area. When the light beam passes through the character
displaying area 224 of the first part 221, the light beam can be
emitted from the place, where it has light pervious pigment or
illuminating material. As a result, the illuminating number "1" in
the character displaying area 224 can be identified by the
users.
[0028] According to FIG. 5, the opaque pigment is printed or coated
on the number "1" (slash area), and light pervious pigment is
printed or coated on the area other than the number "1".
Consequently, when light passes through the first part 221, the
light beam can be emitted from the area other than character
displaying area 224, the number "1". Then, the users can identify
the characters on the character displaying area 224.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 6, the second part 222 is adjacent to the
first part 221. At least a light beam emitted from the display unit
21 passes through the second part 222. The second part 222 at least
has a surface. In the current embodiment, the second part 222 has
two surfaces. The second part 222 is made of light pervious
material, and the light beam emitted from the display unit 21
passes through the second part 222 then refracts to the third part
223.
[0030] The third part 223 is adjacent to the second part 222 and
faces to the first part 221. At least a light beam passing through
the second part 222 is transmitted to the third part 223, and then
the light beam transmitted to the third part 223 is reflected by
the third part 223 and passes through the first part 221. The third
part 223 is a reflective layer or a mirror. As shown in FIG. 7, the
third part 223 can be a saw-like or wave-like surface. The light
beam transmitted to the third part 223 is reflected immediately to
the first part 221 by the third part 223, then, the light beam is
transmitted from the first part 221 out of the button. Moreover,
when the surface of third part 223 is saw-like or wave-like, other
processes could be added to combine the integral first part 221 and
the second part 222.
[0031] Secondly, referring to FIG. 8 and FIG. 3, the electronic
apparatus 2 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention
will be described.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 8, the electronic apparatus 2 includes a
display unit 21 and at least a button unit 22. In this case, the
electronic apparatus 2 is a laptop computer.
[0033] The button unit 22 is disposed in the apparatus 2. The
button unit 22 further includes a first part 221, a second part
222, and a third part 223.
[0034] The display unit 21 is a display, such as a liquid crystal
display (LCD) or an organic electroluminescence device (OLED) . In
the current embodiment, the display of the laptop computer is an
example to display unit 21. Certainly, the display unit 21 could be
a display of the personal computer.
[0035] The button unit 22 is formed integrally. It is made of the
material selected from Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene copolymer
(ABS copolymer), polycarbonate (PC), poly methyl methacrylate
(PMMA) and Polyacrylate. Moreover, the button unit 22 can interact
with a switch unit.
[0036] As shown in FIG. 3, the button unit 22 further includes a
first part 221, a second part 222, and a third part 223. In this
case, the first part 221 is disposed at the top surface of the
button unit 22. The top surface is a pressing surface of the button
unit 22. Pressing the first part 221 changes the height of the
button unit 22 and triggers the switch under the button. The first
part 221 further includes a character displaying area 224. When the
light beam is transmitted from the first part 221, the character
displaying area 224 is illuminated. As a result, the user can
identify the characters in the character displaying area 224.
[0037] According to FIG. 4, forming a character displaying area
224, such as a number "1", on the first part 221 is by printing or
coating. In the current embodiment, the opaque pigment is printed
or coated on the slash area, and the light beam pervious pigment is
printed or coated on the number "1" area. Additionally, the
illuminating material, such as the light beam pervious material
mixing with a fluorescence powder, is printed or coated on the
number "1" area. When the light beam passes through the character
displaying area 224 of the first part 221, the light beam can be
emitted from the place, where it has light pervious pigment or
illuminating material. Then, the illuminating number "1" in the
character displaying area 224 can be identified by the users.
[0038] According to FIG. 5, the opaque pigment is printed or coated
on the number "1" (slash area), and light pervious pigment is
printed or coated on the area other than the number "1".
Consequently, when light passes through the first part 221, the
light beam can be emitted from the area other than character
displaying area 224, the number "1". Then the users can identify
the characters on the character displaying area 224.
[0039] Referring to FIG. 6, the second part 222 is adjacent to the
first part 221. At least a light beam emitted from the display unit
21 passes through the second part 222. The second part 222 at least
has a surface. In the current embodiment, the second part 222 has
two surfaces. The second part 222 is made of light pervious
material, and the light beam emitted from the display unit 21
passes through the second part 222 then refracts to the third part
223.
[0040] The third part 223 is adjacent to the second part 222 and
the third part 223 faces to the first part 221. At least a light
beam passing through the second part 222 is transmitted to the
third part 223, and then the light beam transmitted to the third
part 223 is reflected by the third part 223 and passes through to
the first part 221. The third part 223 is a reflective layer or a
mirror. As shown in FIG. 7, the third part 223 can be a saw-like or
wave-like surface. The light beam transmitted to the third part 223
is reflected immediately to the first part 221 by the third part
223, then, the light beam is transmitted from the first part 221
out of the button. Moreover, when the surface of third part 223 is
saw-like or wave-like, other processes could be added to combine
the integral first part 221 and the second part 222.
[0041] As mentioned above, the button device and electronic
apparatus of the invention utilize the light beam pervious material
to make the button unit. The light beam emitted from the display
unit is transmitted to the button unit. After being refracted to
the reflective layer, at least a light beam is reflected to the
character displaying area, and forms an illuminating button. As a
result, users can clearly identify the characters on the button.
Compared to the prior art, the button device and electronic
apparatus of the invention need not add extra light emitting member
and its complicated circuits. Therefore, users will not worry about
the darkness of the keyboard owing to a broken light emitting
member. Moreover, the electric power for the extra light emitting
member can be saved.
[0042] Although the invention has been described with reference to
specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed
in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed
embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments, will be apparent
to persons skilled in the art. It is, therefore, contemplated that
the appended claims will cover all modifications that fall within
the true scope of the invention.
* * * * *